Anna Sebastian Perayil death: Labour Ministry launches probe into EY's unsafe work environment

Minister of State for the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, on Thursday said that an investigation is underway into the death of Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old CA who used to work with audit firm EY. "Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil. A thorough investigation into the allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment is underway. We are committed to ensuring justice, and the Labour Ministry has officially taken up the complaint," Karandlaje said on X.

Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil. A thorough investigation into the allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment is underway. We are committed to ensuring justice & @LabourMinistry has officially taken up the complaint.@mansukhmandviya https://t.co/1apsOm594d

¡ª Shobha Karandlaje (@ShobhaBJP) September 19, 2024

BJP leader seeks probe

The minister was responding to former BJP MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who sought an investigation into the allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment that Anna's mother had raised against EY.

CREDIT: EY

The 26-year-old from Kerala, who had joined EY just a few months ago, died in July due to a cardiac arrest.

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Letter of Anna Sebastian Perayil's mother goes viral

In an open letter to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani, Anna's mother had blamed work pressure for her death.

"She worked tirelessly at EY, giving her all to meet the demands placed on her. However, the workload, new environment, and long hours took a toll on her physically, emotionally, and mentally," Anna's mother, Anita Augustine, wrote in her letter.

"Anna confided in us about the overwhelming workload, especially the additional tasks assigned verbally, beyond the official work. I would tell her not to take on such tasks, but the managers were relentless," she added.

CREDIT: BCCL

The mother also claimed that no one from EY attended Anna's funeral and that her attempts to reach out to her daughter's manager were unsuccessful.

Irreparable loss, says EY

Responding to the letter, which went viral, EY, in a statement, called Anna's death an "irreparable loss" for the company.

While acknowledging that no measure can compensate for the loss experienced by the family, EY said it has provided all the assistance to them and promised to address the concerns raised by them.

CREDIT: EY

"We are taking the family¡¯s correspondence with the utmost seriousness and humility. We place the highest importance on the well-being of all employees and will continue to find ways to improve and provide a healthy workplace for our 100,000 people across EY member firms in India," the statement said.

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